This Is How It Goes
by mavk4444
Summary: The first time they kiss is an accident, the second time they kiss is at Grover's bachelor party, and the third time they kiss is deliberate.


The first time they kiss is an accident.

Nico doesn't register it for the first five seconds. All he knows is that he was laughing as Blackjack rammed his mouth into Percy's head because he didn't give him more than one sugar cube. Percy drops the container and sugar cubes spill out across the ground. Nico laughs at his face and Percy turns around and pretends to stomp towards him, but trips over the container. He falls onto Nico, and they both crash to the ground. Percy's weight feels like it is crushing Nico so he tries to push the taller boy off. Percy begins to get up as soon as Nico does and their lips smash together.

It isn't very pleasant. Their eyes are wide open, black staring into green. Their mouths are crushed together painfully and their teeth scrape against each other. Neither of them realizes that they're _kissing_ until Nico accidently bites Percy's lip in an attempt to close his own mouth. They jump away like they have both been burned and stare at each other before Percy mumbles some lame excuse, picks up the empty sugar cube container, and walks away briskly.

Nico stares blankly in front of him before brushing his fingers against his lip. His mouth feels kind of sore but he tries to ignore it. He tries to wrap his head around the fact that he'd just had his first kiss but he finds himself unable to. He's sort of weirded out, not because it was with a guy, but because it was with _Percy_ of all people. He never expected his first kiss to be with Percy, but then again he never expected his first kiss at all.

He stares at Percy's retreating figure until it fades and gets an odd tingling sensation in his gut. Brushing it off as nothing he picks himself up off the ground and heads to his cabin.

**. . .**

The second time they kiss is at Grover's bachelor party.

Their first kiss was behind them for two years and they were able to go back to normal for the most part. Sometimes Nico would think about how Percy's mouth had been against his and tried to remember what it felt like. But then he realizes what he's thinking about and he forces his curious thoughts out of his head. Today happens to be one of those moments, and it's harder than usual to force the thoughts away, especially since Percy's sitting right next to him. But he figures that with a few more sips of whatever blend of alcohol mixed with fruity, artificial flavors he has will make him forget it.

Grover's going on about some outlandish thing he did with Juniper on one of their dates and Nico forces himself to laugh when the others do but it's kind of hard. His eyes drift over to Percy who looks at him with a huge grin on his face.

"You're really pretty," Percy slurs out. Nico's alcohol induced-brain doesn't quite process the information until a few minutes later. There's a pounding in his head that he figures will go away and he sips more of his beverage in hopes that it'll be numbed.

"I know." He says, and his words come out more conceited than he thinks they would. Percy seems to notice in his drunken state and laughs low and deep. The sound makes shivers go down Nico's spine.

"That's kinda conceited." Percy says and Nico shrugs because after all, Percy had said he was pretty.

"You said it," He reminds Percy, and the taller boy seems to concede.

Grover and the other guys suddenly get up to do something, leaving Percy and Nico alone in the hotel room's living room.

"You're really pretty." Percy says again, and he reaches over and runs his fingers across Nico's face, leaving a fiery trail in their wake. He runs his fingers through the bangs that fall into Nico's hair before cupping his cheek and leaning over to press his lips against Nico's soundly.

It's different than their first kiss. It's slower, and each move is calculated carefully. Their lips actually _move_, and Nico kind of enjoys it. Something wet traces the seam of his lips and he parts his lips over. Percy's tongue darts in and brushes against his teeth, and the room of his mouth, and wrestles with his own tongue. The tingling feeling he got after their first kiss returns. Despite himself, Nico moans. Percy pulls away and kisses the corner of his lips.

"Annabeth," He murmurs. Nico's eyes shoot open and he stares at Percy at shock. He hears the footsteps of the other guys and shoves Percy away from him. Percy gives him a confused look but he ignores it and forces a smile onto his face as Grover goes around and shoves shot glasses at everyone before pouring vodka into them.

Nico drinks and drinks and he knows that he's going to wake up with a killer hangover, but he wants to do everything he can to stop the stabbing pain in his heart as his brain, still cruel in his drunken state, reminds him that Percy thought he was Annabeth.

**. . .**

The third time they kiss is deliberate.

It's about a month after Grover's bachelor party. Nico finds out through some other campers that Percy and Annabeth had broken up a few weeks prior, which explains Percy's actions. But it doesn't explain why Nico suddenly likes the way Percy kissed him and why he feels so giddy whenever the green-eyed boy smiled at him.

So he decides to get some answers. He and Percy meet up by the lake and sit on the dock. Nico's hesitant to be so close to the water, but Percy says it's fine and so he sits down and dangles his legs into the water like Percy does. They sit in silence and listen to the laughter of everyone around them and watch the white clouds float across the blue sky and feel the sun, warm on their skin.

"So..." It's an awkward way to start the conversation, and Nico wants to face palm. But he doesn't, settling for looking at Percy from the corner of his eye.

"So..." He echoes, and he flushes at how he repeats what Percy had just said. But the other boy doesn't seem to notice.

"You wanted to talk?" He asks, and Nico nods before pulling his feet out of the cool water and folding them underneath him.

"Yeah," He begins, folding his hands in his lap and nervously twiddling his fingers.

"About what?" Percy coaxes, and Nico realizes that he would start getting impatient in point zero three seconds so he speaks in a rush.

"I wanted to talk about the kiss."He says quickly.

Percy looks at him blankly before giving a grin.

"Sorry Neeks, but you're going to have to repeat that." Nico blushes and opens his mouth to scold Percy for the, in his opinion, _ridiculous _nick name but then he remembers he's short on time so he takes care to enunciate every word as clearly as possible.

"I said, I wanted to talk about the kiss." As soon as the words leave his mouth, Percy's whole expression changes. His smile melts away and he sits forward, avoiding Nico's questioning gaze.

"What about it?"

"Why'd you do it?" He asks. Percy looks at him before shrugging and leaning back again.

"I was drunk." He says, and Nico finds himself narrowing his eyes.

"Drunk enough to think I was Annabeth? We look completely different. And let's not forget the fact that she's female while I'm very much male." Nico says.

Percy looks at him, really looks at him, before he turns away and picks up a rock from the dock and throws it as hard as he can. It sails in the air before plopping into the water where it would begin descending downward until it hit the bottom of the lake.

"I knew it was you. I knew you weren't Annabeth." He says.

"They why did you kiss me?" He asks. Percy sighs.

"I wanted an excuse to kiss you again. Annabeth and I had already been broken up by that point and we were both drunk so I figured I could play it off as missing Annabeth." He explains.

Nico begins to understand.

"You don't miss her." It's supposed to be a question, but it sounds more like a statement. He looks over at Percy, and tries to read his expression, but it's so complex that he looks away and focuses on his hands instead.

"Not really. I knew it was going to happen. We'd been having problems for a while. I was just waiting for it, I guess."

"…Why me?" Nico finds himself asking. He forces himself to look up, and Percy gives him a smile.

"Why not? You're perfect." Nico feels the beginning of a blush tingling in his cheeks.

"That's not an answer." He says.

"Hm, I guess not. I don't know why, but I have this…_intense _attraction to you. I find myself thinking about you a lot and after that first time we kissed I knew I wanted to be able to kiss you more. I want to hold you and laugh with you and call you mine. In short…I'm in love with you."

Nico feels his face heat up instantly. His mouth feels dry and he looks at Percy like he's a totally different person. He looks down at his lap.

"When we kissed both times I got a tingling feeling in my stomach." He blurts out. He doesn't know why he says it, but he does. Percy looks at him, and Nico realizes he'll have to continue. He clears his throat. "When you smile at me, or talk to me, or do anything, I get this happy feeling. And I liked it when you kissed me." He finishes, awkwardly shifting.

He allows himself to look at Percy, and sees the taller boy had a wide grin on his face.

"Sounds to me like you love me too."

Nico opens his mouth, but has no idea what to say.

"I-I don't know." He admits. Percy leans over, still smiling.

"How about this; I'll kiss you again. And if you get any of those feelings that you described to me, it means you love me too. And you'll let me call you mine."

Nico's face heats up for what feels like the thousandth time but he nods and closes his eyes. Percy cups his face and presses his lips to his. It's not like their last kiss. There's so much love in this kiss. Their lips move together smoothly, and Nico feels the tingling in his stomach begin.

After a few moments that feel like hours, Percy pulls away. He rests his forehead against Nico's and looks into his eyes.

"So…?"

"I think…I love you too."

Percy grins, and Nico's head spins as he places kiss after kiss on his lips. Once he's finally done, Nico laughs quietly.

"Yeah, I _definitely _love you too."


End file.
